COLUMBIA (AP) - Prolonged drought is prompting some Midwest farmers to sell corn stalks they typically would treat as waste to feed hungry, hay-deprived cattle.
The Columbia Missourian reports area corn farmers are collecting stalks that usually are left in fields. The leftover stalks are known as corn stover.
A market summary compiled by the Missouri Department of Agriculture shows that corn stover is selling in the state for $60 to $100 per ton, or $35 to $45 per large round bale. The state agency didn't even track corn stover sales prices until this year, and nor does the National Agricultural Statistics Service, whose director says corn stover isn't typically considered a farm commodity.